Kigali, 6 May 2024

Today, General Mbaye Cissé, the Chief of the General Staff of Armed Forces of Senegal, along with his delegation, visited the Rwanda Defence Force Headquarters and was welcomed by General MK Mubarakh, the Chief of Defence Staff of the RDF.

He also extended a courtesy call to the Hon Minister of Defence, Mr. Juvenal Marizamunda, before receiving a briefing on RDF's transformation journey and regional security dynamics.

Addressing the media post-meeting, General Mbaye Cissé highlighted the significance of his visit within the framework of the longstanding friendship and collaboration between Rwanda and Senegal. He underscored the historical ties between the RDF and the Senegalese Armed Forces, forged through years of cooperation. The Senegalese army has registered experience in peacekeeping missions to include their troops' involvement in fighting to stop Genocidal killings in 1994.

“Future collaboration with the Rwanda Defence Force will primarily focus on training. We are currently in the initial stages of planning trainings in peace support operations. However, our overarching goal is to expand cooperation into various other domains by formalizing protocols of understanding and collaboration between our two nations, which we anticipate finalizing soon,” said Gen Mbaye Cissé.

Earlier in the day, the Senegalese Army Chief paid homage to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi at the Kigali Genocide Memorial and later visited the Campaign Against Genocide Museum in Kimihurura.